No special tools (UV Resin needs a lamp, Weldon requires syringes and tends to evaporate away if you don’t use it enough) Acrylic welds are SUPER STRONG. They are actually designed for using edge to surface ( like you would need to build an acrylic box). Essentially, they melt the acrylic and fuse it into a powerful bond nearly as strong as the uncut sheet. They work by capillary action – You apply them not by painting them on (they evaporate VERY Fast) but instead by applying with a needle along a joint or seam. They will flow in between the pieces and fuse in under a minute. Over the next 24 hours the bond increases in strength until it is essentially permanent. When you can, hide your glue behind an opaque element. If layering multiple colors (some opaque, some transparent) You can score your piece on the laser to show yourself where to apply the glue and help with the lineup of additional layers. Adhesives are always stronger when applied over a greater surface area. The more surface you cover, the better your bond.

Gorilla Glue | I’m coming around to this stuff. The fact that it peels easily from the surface after drying is great – my main concern is does that mean the bond is weaker? Time will tell. I tried to follow the directions for each glue to the best of my ability. Gorilla glue is kind of weird – you’re supposed to apply water to the surface which I assume helps with capillary action and lets the glue flow across the surface better. This seems to be one of the most commonly asked questions I see out there –“How do I glue acrylic to acrylic?”In the majority of applications, acrylic sheet will not shatter. Rather, it breaks into large dull pieces. Since acrylic is softer and more easily scratched than glass, scratch-resistant coatings are often added to sheets to protect it. While it is not particularly flexible, it’s advantage is that it can be curved and formed into a variety of shapes and configurations. With really, really tiny pieces, for that I might still use Weldon as it won’t squish out the sides since it’s water thin – if you are careful (and use tweezers to just gently tap your pieces into the glue then you may actually have equal/better results with the All Craft) Part Epoxy, Weldbond, Gorilla Glue, Acrylic Weld #4, Plastruct, 3M Adhesive Sheets, Drytac Optically Clear Adhesive, UV Resin, & All Craft Glue A Few Tips: So this one is actually one of my favorite adhesives because you can apply it BEFORE laser cutting. There is no spillover, it’s easy to use and apply, and it’s often used in professional sign making. I find for translucent or frosted acrylics it actually works FAR better than liquid glues which often show through (as patches which you can see above).

This brand is FAR better than the Plastruct shown above which fogs significantly and does not evaporate off of the surface without bad marring. The fogging typically occurs because excess weld cannot evaporate out. I did not notice a lot of fogging with this brand but it does happen from time to time. This product also evaporated better and was less likely to ruin the acrylic’s shine if it got in the wrong spot. Still, you want to be precise with it. It flows FAST so use a delicate touch. Nail Lamp for Curing | This lamp is great because the base is removable meaning you can lift and place this over a larger area – your project doesn’t need to fit inside of it. I own a 72 watt – but they don’t sell it anymore so this is comparable and a higher wattage.

RETURNS

For larger areas of frosted acrylic because the glue edges will show through the frosted based on the way light refracts (for that I’d use 3M or Drytac since it covers the full surface) Exterior Applications– Don’t choose something that will expand and contract and pop loose. This means avoiding 2 Part Epoxy which is rigid and brittle when heated or cooled. The acrylic welds will hold up best, but I believe the adhesive sheets also stand up well to light exterior applications. For anything that needs to be in the wind/rain/sun look for a mechanical attachment like metal bolts or post bindings. Acrylic sheet can be joined using Tensol cement or even superglue, also with heat (welding), or by using solvents such as di- or trichloromethane to dissolve the plastic at the joint, which then fuses and sets, forming an almost invisible weld

Acrylic drills well with a drill press, stepping up the diameter to the finished size (extra careful if drilling near an edge) Any melted swarf collar can be removed by hand using a rotary deburrer. Countersinking also works well in a drill press by using a multi-flute countersink. Scratches may easily be removed by polishing or by heating the surface of the material. Weldbond | Yeah this white PVA style glue didn’t work well for this application (I’m sure one day it will dry), but it’s great for everything else. I love this stuff for wood especially. It’s not super runny so it’s easy to apply and get it to stay where you want it. Acrylic sheets have poor resistance to many chemicals, including acetone, benzene, and liquid chlorine. Acrylic sheets are noted for their exceptional clarity and optical properties. Acrylics are widely used in lighting fixtures because they are slow-burning or even self-extinguishing. Optical Clarity– For all my experiments I tried to only apply the glue completely across the surface. When I refer to clarity I’m looking for how both the glue dries, and if you can see where it “ends”.Well, in this post I’m going to try and show you a variety of different glues and give my opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of each. I have three primary concerns – optical clarity, ease of use, and strength. I will expand on each to the best of my ability. For the most part, you can glue opaque acrylic with all kinds of things and it’ll be fine, but the biggest concerns people have are with the glue showing through or not being strong enough to adhere two smooth surfaces. My Criteria: Focus on strength over clarity if using opaque acrylics – if you can go with the acrylic weld, that will create the strongest bond out of all the adhesives A tiny bit stringy– watch out, don’t let the strings get on your nice surface! It’s not bad, but be aware when you pull away to watch for strings If you spill this stuff on the surface DO NOT BLOT it. Let it evaporate off or it will craze/smoke/fog the surface. Although this is simple to use, if your syringe is leaky it will get everywhere. Also the fact that you need a unique tool to apply it lowers its easy of use score. If you plan to apply this to the “seam” of a smaller piece on top of a large one (not like my sample where the outer edges all meet and it can be clamped) then tape it down before flooding the joint to it doesn’t slide out of alignment. Acrylic sheet is a strong and lightweight material. It has a density less than half that of glass. It also has good impact strength, higher than both glass and styrene. Its UV and environmental stability is superior to most other plastics such as styrene and polyethylene, and Acrylic sheets are often the material of choice for outdoor applications.